9th may 2010

THE PAPACY
TITLES OF THE POPE:
AUTHORITY, MISSION, MINISTRY

Bishop Peter J Elliott

The Pope is a person, not an institution. This is obvious, but we live in an age when we easily turn persons or communities into “things”. We tend to speak of marriage as an “institution”, when it is really a community of persons, and we may speak of the Church as an “institution”, whereas the Second Vatican Council describes it as God’s People, the living Body of Christ. Likewise we can forget that what is called the “Papacy” centres around a unique Christian leader, a man with a specific vocation within the community of faith.

The titles given to this Christian leader clarify the authority, mission and ministry and role of the Pope in our Church today. His titles are not merely high-sounding words of honour and praise.  Each title is full of meaning and can open up yet another dimension of the ministry of the Pope in the Church. The titles help us to see how this essential office developed and why it continues to develop across the centuries of our story as God’s People.

Papal titles are derived from the two sources of Divine Revelation: the Scriptures and Tradition.  Some of them can be traced back to the Gospels. Others arose in the social context of imperial Rome. Others express theological insights or the devotion of the Catholic people.

 

SUCCESSOR OF ST PETER

Within the Church, every bishop in the Church is a successor of the twelve Apostles in that unbroken continuity of New Testament faith and sacramental ordination, the apostolic succession. However, within that succession there is one bishop whose ministry is distinct, whose role is known as the “primacy”. He is the Bishop of Rome, successor of St Peter.

Jesus Christ appointed Peter as visible head of the Church. In Matthew 16, at the climax of Christ’s ministry in this most Jewish of gospels, we find this set out in an interesting literary genre. The form of the text is an echo of the targum teaching method - questions and answers going back and forth between a rabbi and his disciples.  Jesus first challenges the twelve to identify him as the Messiah. They fail. Only Simon the fisherman of Galilee speaks out, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” 

In turn Jesus responds by giving Simon a new name, a new role, a new identity in his Kingdom. Just as Simon identified him as “the Christ”, now he identifies Simon as “Peter”, Cephas, the bed-rock on whom the assembled community of the Church, the ekklesia, will be built. Jesus is saying, as it were, “You told me who I am, now I tell you who you are in my Kingdom.” 

In the Fifth Century, Pope St Leo the Great perceived this dynamic dialogue in Matthew’s Gospel. In the era of the collapse of the Roman Empire, St Leo was aware of the Petrine mandate he had inherited from the “Prince of the Apostles”. In those early Christian centuries the Pope was known as the Vicar of Peter, that is, the personal representative of this chief Apostle, the one who inherited a ministry that would be maintained across all time within the Church.

 

PETRINE MINISTRY

Pope John Paul II often referred to his “Petrine Ministry”. It is the work of being the key-bearer, the theme developed in the Matthew tradition immediately after Jesus gave Peter his new name. “And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  The key bearer is the manager, the one who opens and shuts, hence the popular Christian legend of Peter at the gates of heaven. But in this role, Peter and his successors make decisions on earth that are honoured in heaven.  They help make the Kingdom come on earth “as it is in heaven”.

St Peter’s basilica is a great symbol of the Petrine ministry because it was built to mark the exact place where the Fisherman of Galilee was buried after his execution in about 64 AD. The tomb had been a secret site among the Roman Christians. Its exact location in a cemetery next to the place of execution (Nero’s “circus” or racing circuit) was revealed to the Emperor Constantine by Pope Sylvester, so that the basilica would rise to mark the place where the Fisherman’s bones rested, a place that would draw pilgrims from all around the world.

The bones of St Peter were found during the Second World War, when excavations through the pagan cemetery were authorised by Pope Pius XII. After scientific tests and a sifting of evidence and probabilities, they were authenticated by Pope Paul VI in 1968. Pilgrims to Rome may visit these excavations which take us back to the very origins of the Petrine Ministry in the earliest years of Christianity.    

At this tomb of the Apostle Peter newly woven woollen yokes, the pallia, are kept in a casket. The pallium is a simple sign of communion and unity with Rome conferred on new Archbishops by the Pope. The pallium reminds the Pope and his brother bishops that the Petrine Ministry is a constant work of unity and solidarity. The coat of arms of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York still bear the papal pallium. This is a reminder of the mission of St Augustine who re-evangelised England and reinforced unity with Rome. Yet, before Augustine arrived, the Romano-British or “Celtic” Christians were always in communion with the Pope in Rome, even when they were isolated and diminished as the Empire collapsed.

 

SUPREME PASTOR

As chief Bishop the Pope is the principal shepherd or Supreme Pastor of the whole Church on earth. He models himself on Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for his flock. The procession of saints and sinners who have held the supreme office in the Church across the centuries reflects this ministry of Pastor in different ways and with different levels of success. We can thank God for the series of faithful shepherd Popes in recent centuries.

A pastoral emphasis in the Petrine tradition is found in John’s Gospel, in the post-Resurrection appearance when Jesus says three times to Peter  - “Feed my sheep…feed my lambs.” (John 21: 15-19).  According to the Church Fathers, this was not only a threefold absolution for Peter’s three cowardly denials of Christ, but a triple mandate to care for all Christians, young and old. In the Johannine tradition this mandate is linked closely with Peter’s martyrdom, the price he later paid for being a faithful shepherd, modelling his life and his death on the Good Shepherd.

 

THE BISHOP OF ROME

However, in geographical terms, the Pope is always the Bishop of Rome. Some anti-papal critics have used this title in a hostile way, as if to say that he is no more than the bishop of a city in Italy. However in itself the expression “Bishop of Rome” simply states the fact that a man is elected Pope when he becomes Bishop of Rome, the true Successor to the Apostle who founded the Church in the imperial capital. Once elected by the cardinals he receives no extra sacrament, except episcopal ordination if he is not already a bishop, as has happened in the distant past. By being elected Bishop of Rome he is immediately the head of the whole Church on earth because he inherits the Primacy of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles.

Because he has the “care of all the Churches” that make up the one Universal Church, the Pope cannot spend all of his time working as Bishop of the city of Rome, although he does set out to visit the parishes. Therefore he delegates much of his ministry as a Bishop to a Cardinal Vicar. This Cardinal administers the Diocese of Rome from the Lateran Palace, attached to the cathedral of Rome, the Basilica of St John Lateran.

People imagine that St Peter’s Basilica must be the Pope’s cathedral because it is so big and because he lives next door to it. In fact this largest church on earth is only his chapel!  The Lateran basilica, first established by the emperor Constantine, is the cathedral. Only here do we find a fixed throne for the Pope. Until the fourteenth century, most Popes lived at the Lateran. It was here that St Francis and his followers came to meet Pope Innocent III.  Then, after some years when the papal court was located in Avignon, France, the Popes returned to Rome but moved across the river to the Vatican, to live near the tomb of St Peter. Here a more complex set of buildings was gradually constructed.

 

SUPREME BISHOP

The Pope as Bishop of Rome is the Supreme Bishop of the Church. According to the Second Vatican Council, the jurisdiction of the Pope is full, supreme and universal (cf. Lumen Gentium, 22).  When necessary, he can intervene anywhere in the Church.

However the Pope does not govern in isolation. He is supreme in the sense of being at the summit of the apostolic ministry, but he works in union with his brother bishops.  He is the head of the “college” of Bishops, that is of the community of all the Catholic bishops in the world, whether of the Roman Rite or the Eastern Rites. He is head by being part of the college, an essential part who completes and guides the college.

The concept of collegiality was revived and re-defined at the Second Vatican Council.
The bishops are not vicars of the Pope. His governing authority does not annul their authority, rather it strengthens and perfects their ministry. (cf, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 895)

 

VICAR OF CHRIST

The term “vicar” refers to the Pope’s role as the deputy or representative of Jesus Christ on earth, in Latin his vicarius.  The symbolic role of the Pope is evident within the Church and the world, but it is a challenge to every Pope be faithful to the great responsibilities involved in representing the Lord Jesus to humanity.

Nevertheless, this principle of delegation, of being a representative runs through our Christian lives. Each of us is called to represent Jesus in a different way wherever we live. Priests act “in the Person of Christ” when they celebrate the Eucharist and sacraments. The lay faithful bring Christ to others in the world in their daily lives and work. Husbands and wives represent Christ in their marriage sacrament and especially as they build a family. Male and female religious represent Christ in various commitments of poverty, chastity, obedience and service of the poor and marginalised. All members of the one Body can represent the Lord in different but complementary ministries. The Pope has a unique role of representing the Lord among God’s People and in the wider world.

 

SUPREME TEACHER

The Pope exercises a particular teaching ministry. He teaches from the “Chair of Peter”, meaning he inherits the apostolic teaching authority of the head of the apostles.

The Pope teaches in various ways: through solemn definitions, through encyclical letters, declarations and exhortations.  These ways indicate different levels of his teachings on faith and morals and his decisions on ordering and governing the Universal Church.

The Bishops of the Church teach in union with the Pope, in the words of the Second Vatican Council “with Peter and under Peter”.  This is most vividly realised when the Bishops gather with him in an Ecumenical Council, and define matters of faith and morals. In the solemn definitions of a Council, the charism of the infallibility of the Church ensures that theses successors of the Apostles cannot fall into error because the Holy Spirit of truth is working with them and through them.

However, there are certain moments when the Pope exercises his teaching office or magisterium in a final definitive way. At these critical times, he uses the charism of infallibility and he need not depend on the consent or approval of the Church. The Holy Spirit protects him from falling into error as he teaches the truth Christ wills on a specific matter of faith and morals. Usually he defines or settles a disputed point of doctrine, or he clarifies orthodox doctrine and distinguishes it from error. There is a hint of this charism of infallibility in the Matthew tradition when Christ tells Peter that it was not “flesh and blood” that revealed Christ’s identity to him but “my Father in heaven”. Peter’s inspired act of faith happened to be the foundational truth of Christianity about Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.

Papal infallibility is normally found in solemn dogmatic definitions, which are rare. This is the exercise of the Extraordinary Magisterium. But in the day to day teaching process within the Church, the Ordinary Magisterium, the charism of infallibility may be discerned: (a) when the Pope and Bishops teach the same doctrine in harmony and (b) when the Pope gives definitive teaching, confirming or reaffirming existing teaching, for example in the encyclical letter on the transmission of life Humanae Vitae (1968).

 

TEACHER OF THE NATIONS

The Pope is also known as the “Teacher of the Nations”, first in his evangelising work of reaching out to people and visiting many countries. Yet, within this mission, he often speaks to the whole of humanity, not just to members of the Catholic Church and other Christians.  In these cases, without using the charism of infallibility, he addresses timely letters and exhortations “to all people of good will” particularly on issues of ethics, peace and justice.

As a leading world peace-maker the Pope constantly appeals for peace between nations. Therefore in international relations the Holy See maintains a neutral stance, even when this is not popular with great powers. But to teach all nations and serve peace, the Pope must avoid national alignments or partisan positions.

 

SUPREME PONTIFF

In official Vatican documents and press statements, the Pope is sometimes described as the “Supreme Pontiff”.  This unusual word “pontiff” comes from the Latin pontifex, meaning a bridge-builder. In ancient Rome, the pagan high priest was known as the pontifex maximus, supreme pontiff. When paganism collapsed, this title passed to the Bishop of Rome as leader of the Christian community. It may also apply to bishops, hence the expressions “Pontifical Mass”, “pontifical regalia”.

The Pope is truly a bridge-builder between nations, a peace-maker, a reconciler. In the field of working for Christian unity, the Popes of the era of the Second Vatican Council have worked as bridge builders between the Catholic Church and other Churches and Christian communions and communities.

 

SOVEREIGN PONTIFF

The Pope is also a sovereign or monarch, not by blood descent, as with a king, but through election by the College of Cardinals. His role as an elected sovereign or head of state goes back to the collapse of the Roman Empire and a turbulent era when the Popes stepped into a power vacuum in Italy to maintain and defend not only the Church but Christian civilisation itself.

The geographical area he governed from Rome was known as the Papal States and included most of central Italy. Not all Popes were skilled politicians and only a few of them, such as Julius II, could lead an army, so the borders of the Papal States varied from age to age. Generally the Papal States were well governed and in a more benign and humane way than other kingdoms.

As political forces hostile to the Pope formed a new nation of Italy in the mid-Nineteenth Century, they gradually captured most the Papal States. In 1870 the remaining papal territory was invaded and incorporated into Italy. Rome became the new national capital. The Pope withdrew to the Vatican in protest and became the voluntary “Prisoner of the Vatican” until 1929 when a mutual agreement or Concordat with Italy led to the recognition of the Vatican as the newly defined papal state. 

Today the Pope’s earthly kingdom is the Holy See or Vatican City State, but this small territory is much more than a symbol. It is a real sovereign state.  The Holy See is recognised as a nation among nations, maintaining diplomatic relations with most of the nations of the world. Australia has an ambassador to the Holy See and the Pope’s Ambassador in Canberra is a Vatican diplomat, the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Lazzarotto.  During the reign of Pope John Paul II, many nations entered full diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

At the United Nations the Holy See has the status of an observer nation, like Switzerland.  In recent years the Holy See has played an active and even controversial role at the United Nations by taking a firm stand for justice, for example: defending poorer nations from economic imperialism, speaking out for women and children, defending the right to life of the unborn and the rights of the family and challenging the myth of “world over-population”.  Observer status at the United Nations gives the Catholic Church the opportunity to struggle for justice, peace and freedom, to be the alternative Christian voice – not always welcomed but never to be ignored.

 

MINISTRY OF UNITY

Jesus challenged St Peter when he said: “When you are converted, strengthen your brethren”. The Popes have taken this mandate to heart. They strengthen their sisters and brothers in the Church by working for unity within the Church, by being the practical cause and visible sign of unity, human instruments of a divine mystery.

This mission and ministry of unity evokes a response of faith among believers. In every community of the church, diocese, parish, religious family etc., at Mass we always  pray the great Eucharistic Prayer “in union with” the Pope (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1369). Each particular Church and local community being “in communion” with Rome is the visible assurance of the unity of the whole Church. The Eucharist celebrated by the Pope is the greatest liturgical sign of the whole Church celebrating the Paschal Mystery.

The wider quest for Christian unity was dear to the heart of Pope John Paul II who was firmly committed to the Second Vatican’s Council’s endorsement of Ecumenism. As a young bishop he was very active at the Council. Many separated Christians not only held the late Pope in respect and affection, but they showed a growing conviction that true Christian unity does depend on the ministry of a central visible Pastor. In an even wider sphere, Pope John Paul II also sought to encourage harmony and cooperation between all the religions of the world, as he did at the world meeting of religions at Assisi in 1986. This ministry of unity is being taken forward by Pope Benedict XVI.

 

PATRIARCH

Echoing the mission of Old Testament leaders such as Abraham, “our father in faith”, the title “patriarch” reminds us of the honour and authority Christian tradition accords to certain ancient archdioceses that were linked to specific apostles. A Patriarch in the full sense is the Archbishop of one of these major dioceses founded by an apostle, such as Jerusalem, Alexandria and Antioch. As Bishop of the Church of Rome, founded by the Apostles Peter and Paul, the Pope was described as the Patriarch of the West.

This title Patriarch is also given to the Archbishop of a few cities recognised as of importance in the Christian world, such as Venice and Lisbon. In the Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction, the title is linked to Constantinople, Athens and Moscow and other Eastern centres of the Christian apostolic tradition. 

When Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI met Patriarchs of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, they have greeted them as a brother. They prayed with them, asking that the time could come when the divisions between East and West would be fully healed and we could all share the one Eucharist at the one altar. However, the title “Patriarch of the West” also gave some offence, because the Patriarchate of Moscow sees itself as “Western”. Pope Benedict XVI has directed that this title no longer be used. Nevertheless, the Pope could still be described as the Patriarch of Rome, bearing in mind the Petrine Ministry.

 

HOLY FATHER

The most affectionate and popular way Catholics – and not a few other Christians today – refer to the Pope is “the Holy Father”.  Of course Catholics believe that we have but One Father in heaven, from whom all fatherhood is derived.  In no way do we intend to treat any human being, be he pope, bishop, priest or parent in a divine way when we use the term “father”. Fundamentalists may criticise us for not taking literally the words of Jesus, “Call no man your father…”, but they miss the point through literalism because they would still call their own male parent “father”. They should know that St Paul spoke of himself as a spiritual father, indicating how ancient is the origin of this human Christian expression, which reminds us that the Church is a great family. This papal title is natural and warm and readily springs to the lips of believers and all men and women of good will.

 

HIS HOLINESS

Referring to the Pope as “Holy Father” might seem warmer than the somewhat grand and honorific title “His Holiness” or, when addressing the Pope, “Your Holiness”.  However, the titles “His Holiness” or traditionally “The Holiness of our Lord Jesus Christ” are spiritual and underline the close link between the Pope, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 

The papal title expresses two meanings of holiness: 1. The objective consecration that makes every baptised, confirmed or ordained Christian a “holy” person, a permanent temple of the Spirit, no matter what they do. 2. A call to personal holiness – to grow in faith, hope and love through prayer and good deeds. The first consecration is the foundation for the human response – and all of this “sanctification” is the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Second Vatican Council taught that all Christians are called to holiness, “the universal call to holiness”. Pope John Paul II exemplified this in his own personal life of intense prayer, of a mystical union with Jesus, above all by his personal identification with Christ crucified and by his strong devotion to Mary our Mother. Pope Benedict XVI articulates this call to holiness in terms of Love.

 

SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD

The greatest and most beautiful papal title of all is best kept for last, the Servant of the Servants of God. Thus title was much loved by Pope John Paul II and is vividly evident in the life and suffering of Pope Benedict XVI. These words echo the Gospel model presented by Jesus Christ when he challenged his apostles to be “servants of all”, reflecting his ministry as the messianic Suffering Servant. They remind us that, for Christians, even the greatest exercise of authority and teaching is a work of service. In the Kingdom of God, leadership is meant to be service and the Pope represents the Lord Jesus, who came “not to be served, but to serve”.

Looking back at the “man from a far country” who led us tirelessly for over twenty-five years, we can reflect on the contrasts between worldly powers and the ministry of the Servant Pope, all the more evident in his final years of suffering and physical frailty. Looking at his successor, attacked, derided and misrepresented, we see another form of service that involves suffering.

Empires, nations, multinationals, political parties, ideologies and organisations, these human structures of power come and go. They rise and fall as human history moves on, yet Peter’s successors now travel to the ends of the earth with the message of Jesus Christ.  They do not pass through history unchallenged. Emperors, kings, queens and dictators – people such as Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Napoleon, Stalin. Mao and Hitler - have defied and scorned the Papacy. Some have even sought to destroy it. They have passed on, mourned by few people, but a Pope always remains among us, a peaceful figure in white, leading a worldwide community of millions of people who have been baptised in the faith, hope and love of the Lord Jesus.  The survival and flourishing of the papal ministry is not a sign of a worldly political triumph on the part of the Church. Rather, the Petrine Office affirms the abiding promise Jesus made to his Church, that it would never fail, that the “gates of hell” or “powers of death” will never prevail” against God’s People. 

We thank our loving God for this inclusive community of over a billion people, all around the planet.  Led by the Servant of the Servants of God, Catholics can find that we are part of the great alternative society, a sign of hope, but a sign of contradiction in the world. Guided by Peter’s successor, the family of God’s People on pilgrimage, is on a redemptive mission, serving others as we all move forward into the coming Kingdom of Christ Jesus the Lord.                                                       

 

 

A PAPAL GLOSSARY

APOSTOLIC PALACE –  the papal residence, on the right side of St Peter’s Basilica. This complex building houses the Sistine Chapel, other chapels, audience halls and Vatican offices. The Pope lives in an apartment on the top floor, looking out onto St Peter’s Square.

BASILICA -  an important church specially designated by the Pope. The “basilica” was a large public building in imperial Rome, used as law courts and later adapted for Christian worship.  The major basilicas in Rome are: St Peter’s, St Paul’s, St John Lateran and St Mary Major. There are other basilicas in Rome and beyond. Outside Rome some churches have been named “minor basilicas”, for example St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, and in Melbourne, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Our Lady of Victories, Camberwell, and St Mary of the Angels, Geelong and Fremantle The papal coat of arms is set up in front of every basilica. 

BULL – a legal document from the Pope, usually appointing someone or establishing a structure or exercising discipline. When a bishop is appointed by the Pope he receives a papal bull signed by the Pope, bearing the papal seal. The word “bull” is derived from “bolla”, the lead seal attached to this document. 

CARDINAL – the most senior clergy in the Church, appointed by the Pope to represent him, to work with him and to elect his successor. The word comes from the Latin word for a “hinge”, indicating how the Pope could depend on his clergy. The cardinals originally were local bishops and leading priests and deacons in and around Rome. As the political and social role of the Popes developed, so did the work of these clergy, especially their role as papal advisers and electors. Since the Second Vatican Council cardinals who are not bishops are required to be ordained a bishop once they have been named. Some cardinals work in the Vatican, heading various congregations, councils and tribunals. Others are archbishops of major dioceses outside Rome. Some are leading theologians and scholars who have received the cardinalate in recognition of their work for the Church.

CONCLAVE – the gathering of the College of Cardinals to elect a new Pope. A 2/3 majority is required before a candidate can be elected. The Conclave is held in the Sistine Chapel. During a Conclave, the cardinals of voting age (under 80 years) are sealed off from all outside contact or communication, hence the term “conclave” from a Latin expression for using a key and a lock. For the Conclaves the cardinals are housed in the Domus Santae Marthae, a large guest house Pope John Paul II had built for this purpose within the Vatican.

COLLEGIALITY – the unity of Pope and the Bishops working together as one apostolic community that teaches, governs and cares for the whole Church. In Latin “collegium” has a broader meaning than the academic word “college”.

CONGREGATION – a major Vatican department specialising in an area that is important to the life of the whole Church, such as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. Together with the Congregations, there are Pontifical Councils which focus on a pastoral dimension of the ministry of the Church, such as the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

CONSISTORY – a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened by the Pope for some purpose. A Secret Consistory is convened by the Pope to name new cardinals (“secret” here means “private”). This is followed by the Public Consistory, which anyone can attend, when new cardinals receive the red hat (a red watered silk biretta).  The nomination of some cardinals may be kept secret when they are bishops living in dangerous situations under persecution, as has happened in some Communist countries.

CONSTITUTION – an apostolic constitution is an teaching or juridical document directly from the Pope, for example Anglicanoum Coetibus, setting up the Personal Ordinariates within the Roman Rite for Anglicans who choose to return to full communion  with Rome.

CURIA – the papal household and all Vatican departments. ”Curia” is a Latin term for the central administration. The Roman Curia is made up of all the congregations, tribunals, councils and other bodies that assist the Pope in governing and caring for the Church. The Roman Curia is housed in or near the Vatican. The Latin word “curia” may be used for the administrative offices of a diocesan Bishop, also known as his Chancery.

ECUMENICAL COUNCIL – a Council of all the bishops of the Catholic Church convened by the Pope for a serious reason. The word “ecumenical” is derived from Greek words for “the whole world”. The most recent Ecumenical Council was the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).

ENCYCLICAL – a papal letter addressed to the whole Church, or even to the whole world. An encyclical has a specific theme such as “the gospel of human life”, Evangelium Vitae. The social doctrine of the Church, proclaiming justice and peace and the rights of the poor and the oppressed, has been developed mainly in encyclical letters.  Depending on their size and importance, other papal documents are known as apostolic letters, exhortations or apostolic briefs.

EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE – a regular meeting of all the bishops of a nation or region. Each national episcopal conference works with the Holy See and cooperates with other Episcopal conferences in a larger region.  The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference has a central secretariat in Canberra and is also part of a Federation of Episcopal Conferences of Oceania (FCBO), including those of New Zealand and Oceania (New Guinea and the Western Pacific).

FERULA – the pastoral staff carried by the Pope during major liturgies takes the form of a cross not a bishop’s crozier. A crucifix was introduced by Pope Paul VI at the time of the Second Vatican Council. Another version bears three cross beams. Pope Benedict XVI took up the ferula of Blessed. Pius IX and now he uses a modern version of this cross.

HOLY SEE – in the international sphere, the title of the sovereign state governed by the Pope. In this sense the Holy See has and receives ambassadors, and has Observer status at the United Nations. Within the Church “Holy See” refers to the Pope’s teaching and governing authority as the Chief Bishop. It is derived from the Latin word sedes, referring to the chair or throne used by an important teacher. The word “see” can describe any diocese, e.g. the See of Melbourne. In tradition, the major sees are places where Apostles taught and founded a diocese. In a province, the dioceses linked to an archdiocese are called Suffragan Sees.

KEYS - on the Coat of Arms of the Pope. The crossed “Keys of the Fisherman”, St Peter, recall the authority to bind and loose, to govern, decide and lead, conferred by Jesus Christ on St Peter and his successors (cf. Matthew  16: 19).

MONSIGNOR – a title of honour granted by the Pope to a priest. It originated in the papal household and Roman Curia. This is reflected in the three levels of the monsignorate: Chaplains to His Holiness, Prelates of Honour and Protonotories Apostolic. 

MOTU PROPRIO – a papal teaching or legislative document that comes directly from a personal act or wish of the Pope. Pope Benedict’s recognition of two forms of the Roman liturgy is contained in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

NUNCIO – a papal ambassador, an archbishop who is the Pope’s Representative. A Papal Nuncio, represents the Holy See to a nation. At the same time the Nuncio represents the Pope to the Bishops of a nation or a region. There are also papal representatives at the United Nations and major international organisations. A Vatican embassy is known as an Apostolic Nunciature.

PALLIUM – a cream woollen yoke, embroidered with black crosses. On important occasions this is worn by the Pope and Archbishops, pinned over their Mass vestments. Each year, on the Solemnity of St Peter and St Paul, the Pope confers the Pallium on new Archbishops who are Metropolitans, Archbishops who govern an archdiocese and chair meetings of the bishops of a province of dioceses.  The Pallium is a sign of an archbishop’s unity with the Vicar of Christ, sharing in his pastoral ministry and obedience to his divinely granted authority as Chief Bishop.  Pope Benedict has adopted a distinctive pallium embroidered with red crosses.

PONTIFF – from the Latin, pontifex, bridge-builder. This was part of the title of the high priest in pre-Christian Rome. The Pope is the Supreme Pontiff governing the Church, and as a head of state, he is the Sovereign Pontiff.

PONTIFICATE – the time when a Pope leads and governs the Church. The Pontificate of Pope John Paul II began on October 16, 1978 and ended on April 2, 2005. It followed the shortest Pontificate of modern times, Pope John Paul I, August 26 – September 28, 1978.

POPEMOBILE – a small vehicle designed to carry the Pope at large gatherings so that people may see easily him. The Popemobile was introduced for regular use by Pope John Paul II.

SEDIA GESTATORIA – a portable throne used to carry the Pope in procession. This was last used by Pope John Paul I, in 1978, but Pope John Paul II refused to use it, preferring to walk on foot or travel in a Popemobile or car. Blessed John XXIII complained that being carried in the Sedia Gestatoria made him feel sea sick!

SYNOD OF BISHOPS –  every few years the Pope convenes an international Synod of Bishops, attended by Bishops who have been chosen to represent episcopal conferences and other Bishops nominated by the Pope. The word “synod” means a gathering where people converge, derived from Greek words that refer to “coming together on the same road”.  The Synods meet to discuss a key theme or current issue. At each Synod laity and clergy who are experts on the subject of the gathering advise and assist the bishops as “auditors”. The Pope sums up the work of the Synod and responds with a Papal Exhortation, for example Pope John Paul II wrote Familiaris Consortio in response to the Synod on the Family in 1980; Pope Benedict XVI wrote Sacramentum Caritatis in response to the Synod on the Eucharist in 1905. A permanent Vatican secretariat prepares for and follows up every Synod.

SWISS GUARD – the corps of guards who protect the Pope. Drawn from Catholic cantons in Switzerland, this elite guard of committed Catholic men is a highly trained militia, fully equipped with modern technology. Their colourful blue and gold full dress uniform was designed by Michelangelo.

TIARA – the traditional papal headdress consisting of three gold crowns surmounted by a small cross. The tiara appears above the papal coat of arms, but it has not been worn by a Pope since the coronation of Pope Paul VI in 1963. The three crowns signify that the Pope has received a spiritual authority from God that surpasses the authority of all earthly rulers. In the Middle Ages, the tiara developed from a conical headdress. Today the Pope wears a bishop’s mitre for public liturgies.

TRIBUNALS – the papal courts that make final decisions in cases of Canon Law that are referred to them. The Segnatura Apostolica is the supreme court of the Church to which final appeals are made. The Roman Rota mainly deals with marriage cases that cannot be resolved by diocesan tribunals. Several of the Congregations in the Curia also exercise juridical powers in the name of the Pope in specific areas.

VATICAN CITY STATE – the territory of the Holy See, centred around the walled “Leonine City” on the Vatican Hill. Together with St Peter’s Basilica, St Peter’s Square and the Apostolic Palace (where the Pope lives), this area includes museums, offices, auditoria, churches, convents, seminaries, apartments, a railway station, post offices, barracks for the Swiss Guard, a clinic and pharmacy, a bank, shops, and gardens. However, this territory also extends to the basilicas and various ecclesiastical buildings in Rome and beyond, to rural estates such as the Pope’s summer residence, Castel Gandalfo, the Vatican astronomical observatories and the site of the many aerials for Vatican Radio.

 

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